“I don't regret coming back because I'm not going to let you do anything stupid. You have your whole life ahead of you and Penny is not worth it. You might blame her for Trent's suicide but Trent did that to himself.”
“No,” Marcy said. “She played with him. She knew what she was doing, and she didn’t care. Trent was too blind to see it.”
“That may be true,” I said. “But Trent’s mother told me that he's been battling depression his whole life. Penny didn't create it. She may have contributed to it, but that's all.”
Marcy looked away as if she didn't want to hear it. “Bullshit. Penny enjoys tormenting people and Trent was just a game to her. She knew the whole time that he was stalking her, and she thought it was entertaining. She allowed it. It was a sick game that screwed with his mind.”
I paused to consider her insinuation. “Wait, so she knew he had been stalking her?”
“Of course she knew.” Marcy snorted.
I laughed in spite of myself. “But Trent didn't deliver those photos after he died. That was you.”
Marcy lowered her gun. “After Trent died, I decided I'd like to play a little game with Penny myself. I printed out some pictures he'd taken of her and delivered them to her house. I had all kinds of things planned for her. And I was just getting started.”
“I know. I saw the website on your computer. You can’t be serious about it, right? Please tell me it was just a vengeful fantasy.”
Marcy shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not.”
I lowered my hands gradually, keeping her weapon in sight. “Listen, Marcy. It's all over now. It's time to let this go. I know you want to avenge Trent's death but this isn't the way. Do you really want to waste any more precious time on Penny? I guarantee you, she will eventually lie down in the bed she's made for herself.”
“No she won't! Beautiful women always get away with stuff! She'll just find some other poor sap to grovel at her feet. It will never end.” Marcy placed the gun on the counter and backed away. “Just so you know, it's not loaded. It’s not like I’d ever shoot you anyway. I just bought it because I live alone. There’s drug dealers who live in this apartment building.”
“Marcy, it’s okay to feel angry. You should feel angry because it’s not fair. But you seem like a smart girl. Please don’t do anything to Penny. Promise me you won’t.”
She turned and walked toward the hall. “I couldn’t do it now if I wanted to.”
Marcy went into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. I didn’t know if that meant she wanted me to leave or not.
I checked the gun to make sure she was telling me the truth, that it wasn’t loaded. As soon as I held it in my hand, I could tell it wasn't even a real gun by the weight of it. Just a very convincing fake made out of plastic. Could have fooled me.
I left Marcy's apartment and, as I neared the stairs, Officer Bouchard was coming up them.
His furrowed brow was moist with perspiration. “Sarah, is everything okay?”
“I think so. You might want to talk with Marcy and make sure she's got her head on straight. She was doing research online, about how to stalk someone without getting caught. I believe those pictures she delivered to Penny's house was only the beginning of what she had planned.”
Officer Bouchard shook his head. “Do you really think she would've gone so far as to hurt Penny?”
“I don't know. Revenge is one of those things … usually it remains a fantasy for most people. I don't know if Marcy has it in her to act on it. But the fact that she took the first step, well, it's disturbing. Maybe she needs a few sessions with a therapist to work on her issues.”
“Where are you heading now?”
“I'm gonna call Carter and tell him what happened here. And then we're going to Penny's house. I have something to give her.”
“The underwear?”
“Yes, and also a piece of my mind.”
* * *
Later that evening around five o'clock, Carter and I showed up at Penny's door. She must have known by the look on my face that I was less than pleased with her.
“May we come in?” I asked. “We have something to discuss.”
She eyed the box in my hands and nodded. “Sure, come in.”
Carter immediately got to work removing the surveillance equipment, probably hoping not to participate in the conversation.
“What are you doing?” she asked Carter. “I thought you were leaving those in place?”
Carter ignored her.
I walked to the living room and dropped the box onto the coffee table. “I recovered your items, Penny. At least. I’m assuming these are yours.”
She peeked inside the box and her eyes grew wide. “Where did you find them?”
“They were in Trent's apartment but I guess you already knew that.”
Penny opened her mouth to speak - but nothing came out.
“Just so you know,” I began, with arms folded across my chest. “Carter and I spoke with your parents. We explained everything to them; how you selfishly and knowingly caused them unnecessary grief, not to mention wasting their money. Your stalker was already dead but you wanted the game to continue.”
Penny shook her head and I could tell she was about to give me some lame excuse.
“There's no point now,” I said. “Your parents are insisting that you move back home to San Diego. They will not pay your expenses or continue to send money if you decide to stay. You'll be on your own. So I guess it's your decision but let me add one more thing: if you decide to stay, you'd better watch your back very closely.”
Penny swallowed, blinking away tears. “I never knew Trent would kill himself. If I knew that, I would have stopped. You have to believe me.”
“It doesn't matter what I think anymore, Penny but I will offer one last piece of advice. If you continue to play your games, someday you will find yourself in a bad situation. A real situation that you won't be able to buy or charm your way out of and, at that point, you may not have any friends left to help you.”
She stared at me, aghast. I fully expected a melodramatic reply, but none came. She must have known that there was no point.
When Carter was finished collecting his equipment, we left her house for the last time.
Chapter 22
A few days later, over morning coffee, I got an email from Officer Bouchard letting me know that Penny had packed her belongings and headed back home to California. I'm glad she came to her senses and did the right thing for a change.
I'm not sure if Jessica ever found out about her night with Caleb. The truth always has a way of surfacing however and, when it does, I can't imagine that Penny would ever be welcomed back in Bridgeport.
With the case of the missing underwear officially closed, I decided it would be a good time to broach Carter on a subject I'd been thinking about for some time.
“How would you feel about renting an office somewhere? We are professionals, so why not have a professional office to work in? Then we could advertise and drum up some new clients?”
Carter frowned, obviously not big on the idea. “I think we do just fine as is.”
“Well, maybe I want more than just fine. Maybe we should step it up a notch. Will you give it some thought?”
He nodded. “Okay, I'll consider it.”
“Thank you.”
Carter stared at me from across the table, mug in hand. “And what about you? Have you given my offer any more thought?”
“Moving in with you?” I said. “Yes, I've been thinking about it.”
He tilted his head in interest. “I just want you to know that it's a big step for me, too. I haven't lived with anyone in over a decade. I don't take it lightly but I am sure about one thing. You're the one for me, Sarah. I'm positive about that.”
I took his hand in mine and squeezed gently. “I feel the same way.”
He paused, looked into my eyes expectantly. “But the answer is no?”
“The answer is yes.”
The End
Thank you for reading….
The next Sarah Woods Book 15 is available for pre-order here:
The Devil You Know (Sarah Woods Book 15)
Other Sarah Woods Books in the series:
An Appointment with Murder (Sarah Woods Book 1)
An Act of Deceit (Sarah Woods Book 2)
An Island of Illusions (Sarah Woods Book 3)
A Taste of Sin (Sarah Woods Book 4)
The Masque of Innocence (Sarah Woods Book 5)
The Art of Duplicity (Sarah Woods Book 6)
An Appetite for Revenge (Sarah Woods Book 7)
A Date with Death (Sarah Woods Book 8)
A weapon of Choice (Sarah Woods Book 9)
A Witness in Disguise (Sarah Woods Book 10)å
The Ties that Bind (Sarah Woods Book 11)
A Flight of Fantasy (Sarah Woods Book 12)
A Death in Tuscany (Sarah Woods Book 13)
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
The Stares of Strangers Page 10